In the Garden: Herbs enhance recipes in summer and winter

This is the time for harvesting herbs from the garden. Recipes improve when you add fresh herbs for seasoning.

Thomas Mickey

This is the time for harvesting herbs from the garden. Recipes improve when you add fresh herbs for seasoning.

If you are unfamiliar with using fresh herbs, herbalist Betsy William promises to help with her new book called “Mrs. Thrift Cooks.” The point she makes is that you can save money by using herbs that you grow.

Williams says, “I’ve learned to grow all the herbs needed for daily cooking during the growing season and to use them to make delicious condiments for winter use.” She is an award-wining writer and lecturer who loves to cook, which becomes clear as you read her book. Her home and garden are north of Boston. Betsy’s husband, Ned Williams, illustrated the book with black-line drawings that add a bit of whimsy and charm to the quite readable text.

The recipes in the book are accompanied by Betsy’s philosophy, which is expressed through her alter ego, Mrs. Thrift. Mrs. Thrift becomes a wonderful literary tool in the book, and makes the book fun to read.

Fish usually needs some kind of seasoning. Betsy presents a recipe called “Bluefish with herb mustard and dill,” which incorporates fresh dill. It is easy to make and gives a satisfying flavor to salmon as well. You broil the fish, and put the sauce on before you serve it. Easy and simple.

Herb butters make up a separate section in the book. She recommends preparing the herb butter in batches, and freezing them so you can have the butter later. The herbs can be almost any combination of mixed culinary herbs, like dill butter, fennel butter with garlic, chive butter, mint butter and, of course, parsley and garlic butter. The butter gives flavor to a variety of foods.

Everyone likes pasta, and Betsy includes a pasta recipe using zucchini with mint, garlic, and lemon. Wonderful flavors together. One of the herb butters provides the base of the sauce.

Making vinegar with herbs is not a difficult task. You can make herb vinegar with any kind of vinegar except distilled white vinegar. She says, “Distilled white vinegar is an excellent cleaning agent, but should not be used for cooking.” You allow the vinegar and herbs to age for two to four weeks.

At the end of the season you may wonder what you can do with your rosemary plant. Right now I have a pot of rosemary near the front door. I plan to cut the sprigs of rosemary to add that special flavor to a fish recipe I ran across recently. Betsy too offers a recipe called rosemary walnuts, easy to make as a ready addition to so many dishes. Along with some herb butter, olive oil and paprika, you sprinkle chopped fresh rosemary on walnut halves, bake for twenty minutes, and you have a great addition to salads, fish, and chicken. You can keep rosemary nuts in the freezer for use all winter. Good for snacks as well.

To learn more about Betsy Williams and her new book, check out her website at www.betsywilliams.com.

Thomas Mickey is a master gardener and a professor. You may reach him at www.americangardening.net.

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